Past Occurrences
by Tearlit
Summary: Hermione goes to great lengths to help Harry learn about his parents.
1. Slip of the Tongue

Disclaimer - Not mine! Don't sue! Wouldn't get anything anyway!

A/N - Please review!

* * *

November - 1998

Hermione Granger sat in the middle of the floor of Harry Potter's new flat with the contents of several boxes piled in heaps around her. She shuffled various items, muttering darkly to herself at times, and would occasionally toss a textbook into a large cardboard box. Another box beside her appeared to be reserved for bits of trash, as she would quite frequently find old bits of parchment or, even more likely, sweet wrappers, embedded in the pages of text. Harry himself sat on the couch with a large photo album open across his knees; he was perusing it with a far away look in his eyes and would occasionally burst into laughter and coax Hermione into looking at whatever had so amused him.

He looked up as a book was thrown into the box particularly viciously, eyebrows shooting upward in surprise. "Wow, Hermoine, what did that book ever do to you?"

"Nothing," she snapped. "However, it would be nice if you helped me go through your things."

He groaned. "You know I'm no good at organizing. Plus I told you that you could just chuck all that anyway. It's just the old things I got from Privet Drive."

"I will not chuck it! Some of these you can still use, especially these books on Defense. The others you can sell; they bring in quite a profit you know."

He nodded and once again returned to the photo album. Hermione shook her head and continued sorting, less viciously now than before. She finally finished with the books, the old box now heaping, a much smaller and neater stack lying on the floor beside her, and had moved to inspecting quills. She peered closely at the nib and sometimes nodded and placed it gently atop the worthy books, other times she looked distinctly annoyed and chucked it straight away into the rubbish box.

After the sixth ruined quill in a row she suddenly exclaimed, "Harry, how does one person ruin so many quills? And why on earth did you keep them all?"

The young man shrugged, "I thought they might come in handy later."

"For what? Some sort of exotic headdress?"

Harry grinned a bit at that, "Yea, I thought I might make it and wear it to work one day."

Hermoine smiled and shook her head at the image of Harry in his Auror's robes wearing a hat made of quill feathers. "I'm glad we can do this."

"What? You go through my things while I sit here and watch?"

"No! Talk, hang out, just…enjoy the day," the witch said, smiling. "I'm glad we got to have this, sometimes…sometimes I wasn't so sure we'd all make it through the war."

"Sometimes I wasn't so sure either. Looking at this…I love it, but it kind of makes me sad," Harry said.

Hermione stood up, brushing small bits of debris from her robes, and sat on the couch beside her best friend, pulling the album so she could see. Her warm brown eyes met bright green ones, as she looked down at the image of a very young, very pretty woman, who was perched on the lap of a man who, except for the eyes, could have been the very same man she was now sitting beside.

"Sometimes I think…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" Hermione prompted gently.

"If they couldn't survive the war, then what right do I have to have done so? I feel so bad that I accomplished something that they didn't."

"Harry!" the woman chided. "You know they would be happy to know you survived. They died so you could live."

"I know." The two teens continued to flip through the picture album together, pausing to study some more than others. "I wish I had asked Lupin or Sirius more about them. There is so much I want to know, and now I'll never get answers because the only people who knew are dead."

Hermione gazed at him sadly and stood, levitating the large stack of books toward the wooden shelves on the far wall.

"The only memories I have of them are the one's I received from Snape. I suppose the thing I most want to know is how they got together. She hated him! What made her finally see him differently? What made her finally date him?"

Hermione was now busy alphabetizing the books and answered absentmindedly. "Oh she didn't hate him, not really. She just thought he was rather egotistical. However, at the beginning of their seventh year a girl came along that showed him how to open up and be himself around Lily, and that was what brought them together. Though Lily was quite jealous of the girl, with good reason, so there was some strife there."

"What? How do you know this?" Harry exclaimed.

Hermione gasped and turned toward him, face going scarlet. "I…um…oh my…" she continued to stutter unintelligibly.

"Hermione, how?" Harry asked, almost frantic now for her extra knowledge of his parents.

"Do you remember the time turner that I had during our third year?"

"How could I forget it?" Harry replied, looking vaguely puzzled.

"Well…at the end of the year McGonagall asked for it back. I thought it might come in handy later so I took an old necklace I had and transfigured a copy."

"You kept a time turner? Where is it? Can I have a go? Wait…did you have a go?" the youth asked all in a rush, hand running through his hair in agitation.

"It's gone now. I lost it last year, the night that…that Ron left. But see…over the summer, before I came to the Burrow, I got to thinking about your parents. It was just after I sent mine away and I was feeling pretty down, but I remembered you didn't really know anything about your parents. So I got the idea to go back and sort of observe them and tell you what I saw when I came back."

He gaped at her like a fish out of water. "You went…you saw…why…not tell!"

She quirked at eyebrow at this display of eloquence and said, "Take a breath Harry, and say that again in non-broken English."

"You went and saw them! Why didn't you tell me?" he paused a moment. "And what do you mean Lily was jealous of you with good reason?"

Her face became so red at that moment that Harry fully expected it to catch fire at any second. "I didn't tell you because…well there was a lot less observing that I'd planned on. And your father took…quite a liking to me…"

"Did you…did you date my father?"

"Not exactly. We never left the castle or anything."

He gagged, "Hermione did you snog my dad?"

She blushed and he made a rather intelligible noise and went pale.

"I didn't mean to! It just sort of…happened. But I got them together in the end. I'm not really sure how they managed it the first time. Though I've been thinking…perhaps it happened that way and that's why I went back, because I'd already done it and so I had to do it again."

"You snogged my dad!"

"See why I didn't tell you! I knew you'd take it all wrong," she said shrilly.

"Take it wrong? You snogged my dad! The least you could've done was have to told me about you going back."

"I was embarrassed by the whole affair. Though if you want I suppose I could share with you certain bits of my trip."

"As long as there are no details about you snogging my dad I would love to hear it," he said in a rather testy tone.

"All right, I'm not telling you the whole story but I'll give you a few highlights."

"I want you to at least explain your relationship with him. God…that sounds so wrong."

She nodded and began to wonder if her face would ever cool off.

"Well I arrived at the beginning of their seventh year and sort of blended in with the crowd. I did some nice wand work so the teachers thought I was a transfer…"


	2. Clandestine Meetings

Disclaimer - Not mine!

A/N - Please review!

* * *

September 1977

Hermione sat alone at a small heavy table at the back of the library, watching Lily and James have a silent fight. "_How do those two get together_?" she thought to herself, vaguely amused and largely disappointed. She had hoped that they would already be a couple, or at least be civil to each other.

James had apparently sat down at Lily's table and proceeded to write notes and charm them to flutter about her head in the shapes of flowers and hearts. Hermione winced when the redhead waved her wand, incinerated every one of them and then gave James a glare so severe that he shrugged in defeat and grabbed his books. To her dismay he looked around and spotted her, putting a large grin on his face.

"Hello! I don't believe we've met," he whispered. "May I join you?"

She wanted to say no, but as he'd already thrown his books about and sat down she didn't feel as if refusing was an option. "Well as you're already situated I would dare say you could."

He threw her a most charming grin and held out his hand, "I'm James Potter, Head Boy."

"_Well I suppose if I get to know them it would be easier for me to tell Harry things about them_," she thought to herself. Out loud she said, "Hermione Glenn, I just transferred."

"Well, if you need me to show you around sometime, I'd be more than happy to," he said, a strange gleam in his eyes.

"Yes," drawled an amused voice from behind her, "he has a quite extensive knowledge of the dark alcoves and broom cupboards."

"Oh stuff it, Padfoot," James said, grinning broadly.

Sirius Black sat down beside Hermione and looked her over, causing her to blush slightly. "Of course, I have the same amount of knowledge, if you'd rather have a more handsome tour guide," he said, winking at her.

"I think I can find my way around quite easily, thanks," she replied politely. "Well I think I'll go back to the common room, it's getting late."

The young woman stood, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and gathered her books, shoving them in her bag. She sighed when the two amorous young men stood, shoving their own books inside large bags. Sirius snatched her satchel right out of her hand and slung it over his shoulder to rest beside his own. Each boy then looped his arm through hers and said together, with identical grins on their faces, "We will escort you, fair lady." Hermione couldn't decide whether to be amused or exasperated, and sighed in defeat as the two of them drug her out of the library.

Over the next few days it seemed everywhere she went there was either James or Sirius; the only time she could be sure to escape them was when she was in the loo or the dormitory.

"Why do you keep following me?" she practically yelled at James on one occasion where he'd lunged out of a hallway and caught her off guard, causing her to drop her books.

He waved his wand, causing them to soar up and land in her arms; James then wrapped an arm about her waist. "Because you are so fascinating, being the new girl and all."

The other Marauders suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Remus said, "That and he's trying to make Lily jealous. It's working too, by the look of her these days whenever you're around."

"I'm doing no such thing, Moony," James replied, looking hurt. "I think our dear Hermione is a lovely and admirable creature and I would love to get to know her better."

"In a broom cupboard no doubt," Peter snickered.

Hermione sighed at the insensitivity of boys and removed James arm from her waist. "I would like to get to dinner, if you please," she said primly, walking off down the hall. However, she hadn't made it three steps before James hand was firmly around her waist again.

"I'll escort you. Go on, you three, we'll catch up," he said, gesturing with his head towards the Great Hall.

Her eyes narrowed but she thought Harry might be quite perturbed if she hexed his father, besides; she rather liked the attention, even if it was a bit annoying. Once the three boys were quite a ways down the corridor James spoke again, voice holding a tone that Hermione had only heard in the past from Viktor.

"I do find you admirable and lovely, you know. I'm really not using you just for a possible snog or to make Lily jealous."

"Not just or not at all?"

He looked a bit uncomfortable at that. "Well…not just. Snogs are nice, and I was hoping if Lily got jealous she might go out with me. She's really the only girl I see going with long term. But for a short term girl, you really are one of my top picks."

"Well that was so romantic. I really can't see why Lily isn't over here now, demanding to be your girl," Hermione said scathingly.

"I try," he replied with a grin. "So…want to go out with me for a little while?"

"Aren't you really just asking me to help you make Lily jealous?"

"Well…I thought you'd say no to that. It is a bit of a degrading question. I suppose I am bored and you are pretty and available and I thought you might like to be my girl to pass the time. And perhaps while we are together your presence might make Lily realize what she is missing."

Hermione shook her head and thought to herself, "_Oh my God, Harry's dad just asked me out! In an insensitive manner…but still_!"

She decided to use an evasive tactic. "You making her jealous won't work exactly. You have to open up, to show her that you've matured and aren't an egotistical git anymore."

He nodded, "You have a point."


	3. He's Wearing What?

Disclaimer - It wasn't mine in the last 2 chapters...things haven't changed.

A/N – Reviews are lovely…

* * *

September 1977

"_Why in the name of Merlin is James Potter wearing neon purple and orange striped socks? Is that glitter on them? Good lord I'd hate to see his other undergarments if those are his socks_." Hermione thought, watching James across the common room. His feet were propped up on the table, displaying the lurid hosiery that he, for some reason, was quite proud of.

She had now been in 1977 for three weeks and she could clearly see why Lily refused to go out with James. She could tell from his interactions with Sirius, Peter and Remus that James was truly a wonderful man; however he apparently had a strange alter ego that burst forth whenever he came within ten feet of a woman. Once he had made comments, catcalls and other outrageous statements to more than half of the female population of Gryffindor Tower, Hermione had finally reached the end of her rope. She promptly marched over, shoved his offensive feet off the table, grabbed him by the arm and drug him forcibly from the common room amid very loud catcalls from Remus and Peter and a suggestion so lewd from Sirius that she seriously considered casting a Scourgify on his mouth.

Hermione forced him into an empty classroom and began berating him as soon as the door was closed. "How have you ever gotten a girlfriend? You can be the most idiotic, arrogant and thickheaded person I've ever seen, and that is a feat considering who my two best friends are! You are so sweet and nice around the other Marauders but you are a complete prat to everyone else, especially females!"

Her tirade was cut off abruptly as James' lips pressed against hers; she gasped and stiffened, eyes flying wide open, as one of his hands moved to her hip and the other entwined in her hair. She gradually relaxed and began to respond as the kiss continued and thoughts such as "_Oh my God I'm kissing Harry's father_!" left to be replaced with "_Hm…this is nice_." Her eyes dropped closed and she wrapped her arms around his neck; his lips were much softer that Viktor's had been, and she couldn't help but notice that he was a much better kisser. The hand that was tangled in her hair moved to slide down her back until it, too, rested on her hip. Hermione was vaguely aware of being pushed backwards until she hit the wall, and of James pressing tight against her. She was unaware of how long they stayed that way, but she rather enjoyed it…until he pulled back and was grinning at her.

She blushed crimson and thought, _"I should have known he was just using me_," but then he spoke – "That was nice, Hermione." His grin turned into a lazy seductive smile and he kissed her again, softer this time. They remained in the classroom for quite a long time, and when they made their way back to the common room it was hand in hand.

Hermione wasn't sure how long they had been gone, but as the common room was nearly empty she supposed it had been quite some time. The Marauders were still up, however, and their entrance brought a fresh round of jeering, until James told them in a quite firm voice to cut it out. There were a few first years in a back corner, and one of her fellow seventh years still pouring over an essay. Upon thinking, Hermione realized that she hadn't seen Lily all day.

"Where's Lily?"   
"I'm not sure," Remus replied. "I haven't seen her since lunch. Have you guys seen her?"

"I thought it was quiet around here, without all the fighting and carrying on," Sirius said. "But no, haven't seen her since lunch either. Maybe she snuck up to bed early?"

"That's odd. Lily's always in here studying," Peter said.

James pulled Hermione over to an extra large armchair in a corner and sat in it, pulling her on his lap. A nagging little voice in the back of her head kept saying, "_Hermione Jean Granger, this is NOT right!"_ but the voice in the front of her head quite disagreed. In the end she told them to both shut up, rested her head on James' shoulder, and enjoyed the quiet.


	4. Girl Talk

Disclaimer - Not mine!

A/N - Please review!

* * *

October - 1977

September slowly melted into October and Hermione knew that it would be time for her to return home soon; however she had grown used to life here - it was much more peaceful than her own. She had somehow become James Potter's girl - some days this bothered her and other days it filled her with a sense of belonging and pride. It was rather disconcerting on occasion to hold a hand or kiss a mouth that so resembled Harry's, when she had never thought of kissing Harry himself, but ninety-five percent of the time this could be ignored. Then there was the problem of Ron, whom she liked very much – she pacified herself with the knowledge that he did not feel the same.

Then there was the pesky problem of Lily – she was avoiding Hermione and the Marauders as if they had the plague. "_How am I going actually get them together now if she won't even look at him? Oh I've made a right mess of things_," Hermione thought. "_I should never have gotten involved with him, even if he is quite handsome and charming." _

Just then James appeared at the table in the common room where she had sequestered herself and brought forth a bar of Honeydukes best chocolate. "Here you go!" he said brightly, positively beaming at her.

"Thank you, James."

"You know…you study too much, Hermione. NEWTS aren't for months!"

"Well you can't do all your studying right before! These tests are important! They decide our futures and our careers and if you don't do well on them it's quite disastrous…" James broke into her mounting tirade by pecking her on the cheek and squeezing her hand.

"All right, love, you keep on with that. I'm going down to annoy Remus out of the library."

As she watched him leave all the thoughts of why she shouldn't be here, shouldn't be with him resurfaced, but she was young and something made her push them away. She was surprised out of her studying once more when someone moved a stack of her books and set in the chair beside her. The bushy haired young girl looked up, expecting James or Sirius, but what she got was a certain redhead with a very wary expression on her face.

"Erm, hi, Lily!" Hermione said brightly. "_So now she comes back from her disappearing act_," Hermione thought. "_And she doesn't look terribly happy."_

"Hello, Hermione," Lily said quietly before lapsing into silence.

Hermione nervously shifted her parchment about. "Something you wanted?" she asked kindly after a few moments.

"What's up with you and Potter? I mean, I see you together and it's _obvious_ you're an item, even without the occasional public snogging. But every now and then he'll try to talk to me and I just _know_ he's itching to ask me out."

"Well…I do believe I'm a filler. He's really just using me to pass the time, and to help him mature a bit so that he had a chance with you." As Hermione said this she suddenly realized that things weren't so casual as she thought they were, that this hurt…quite a bit actually.

"That's…horrible!" Lily said, clearly appalled.

"Well he sort of told me up front, so it's not that bad. I knew what I was getting myself into," Hermione said briskly. However the nagging little voice in the back of her head sadistically whispered, "_Did you, now_?" Out loud she continued, "He told me that you were the only long term girl for him, but I was good for short term." Lily began to look mildly angry, yet a bit pleased, "That prat."

"Well I mainly only went with him to get him to stop acting so idiotic around girls. It was as if there were two James Potter's; I've just tried to unify them a bit."

"That you have," Lily said softly. "That you have. He…never mind."

"What?"

"I shouldn't be saying this to you; you're his girlfriend and I've seen the way he looks at you. I think it's quite a bit more than casual."

"He make like me, Lily, but he loves you. I can tell by how he looks at _you_."

The young woman reached out and touched Hermione's hand, "I am so sorry."

She forced a smile, "Do you like him? Honestly?"

She thought a moment and then slowly nodded, "I never really hated him. I could see that there was something more in him but I didn't have the motivation to bring it out. Then toward the end of last year I saw a change in him, and I'd hoped it continued through to this year. I wasn't disappointed, though he was still enough of an idiot around girls to put him off with a resounding no."

Lily paused for a moment before continuing, "I suppose I really fell for him last year. Now, when he started going with you…he started acting like I'd always imagined him to act if he were to be with me. How I would want him to act – like himself, like he acted around the Marauders, not the face he put on to the rest of the world. That made me so angry, that you somehow brought out in him this desire to leave his idiotic ways behind."

"You could have too, if you gave him a chance."

"No…I couldn't have. I watched you together in the library at first. In a week you received more personal glimpses into the true personality of James Potter than he has given me in seven years. I've seen the real him from across the room, or when I've stumbled in on something, but he's never came to me and not acted the prat. I didn't even _know_ he had a softer side until fourth year!"

"Well now that you know what he can be like, perhaps you could give him a chance," Hermione murmured.

"But he's with you now!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yes, and all he wants, all he's ever wanted, is to be with you."

Hermione was surprised at how much that statement hurt her to voice it; at how much _she_ wanted to be the girl that James Potter wanted. How much that, for once, she wanted to have first place in someone's life.

"Are you ok with that?" Lily whispered.

"_Are you_?" the cruel little voice whispered. Out loud she intoned with a smile, "I have to be." The young woman took a deep breath and blinked a bit, she then stood and said, "I'm going to find James. I daresay you'll have your chance in a few days."


	5. Things That Might Have Been

Disclaimer - As stated in all previous chapters - it isn't mine.

A/N - Please review! And wow! This is my first completed chapter fic! I'm so excited. Also...thanks to all my lovely reviewers!!

* * *

_November 1998_

When Hermione stopped speaking Harry was gaping at her, his eyes bugging out of his head. "You…and my dad…and you really cared for him…then you stepped aside for my mum?"

She turned red and said, "Yes…that's the gist of it."

"Well don't stop there! What happened next?"

"Based on your facial expressions I thought you found all of this horrible."

"Not all of it. Just that snogging part," he shuddered. "Why did you have to tell me that? And that you sometimes were put off by the fact that he looked like me?"

"I was going for honesty!"

"Well be honest some more. What happened then?" Harry said quickly.

"Well I found James, recounted part of my conversation with Lily and told him to go for her. We had a bit of a…touching moment and then we just weren't together anymore. I stayed rather out of sight for the next week or so, secretly following him and Lily everywhere; I wanted to see how they finally got together…"

_October 1977_

One day after Charms Hermione was creeping through the library when she heard the deep rumbling voice of James. The witch then positioned herself at the shelf directly behind him and slid a large volume over so she could see a bit. She was pleasantly surprised to see him sitting with Lily and, for once, the pair was not looking like they could kill each other. The curious girl remained where she was so she could hear the exchange.

"James…you are so different this year."

"I hope you mean different in a good way," he said, smiling.

"I do."

"Hermione…she showed me how to open up and be myself around girls. How to actually be nice to them! I'm not as big of a prat as I let everyone think I am. It's just hard to be myself around people that aren't Sirius, Remus and Peter."

"I'm starting to realize that, James."

"Are you realizing it enough to go out with me?" James said, a twinkle in his eye.

"You know…I think I am, providing you continue not being the world's biggest git when I'm around." Lily replied.

James gasped and nearly screamed, "You…you said yes! Didn't you?"

"Yes, James, I said yes," she replied.

Suddenly he jumped up and let out a might whoop of victory, which Hermione was quite surprised to hear echoed from three different directions. Remus and Peter bounded out, of shelves on other sides of them and Hermione was looking about for Sirius when she felt a gentle tug on her hair.  
He leaned close and whispered in her ear, "That was a good thing you did. Thanks."

She smiled and nodded as if it was nothing, though she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wasn't fooled. Sirius gave her a wink and bounded out to join his brothers, claiming to have been lost among the volumes.

Over the next few days Hermione watched the new couple, and when she was satisfied that they would, indeed, make it and Harry would be born she decided it was time to go home. She didn't want to leave without telling at least James bye, but she didn't want to anger Lily by doing so. She solved this by asking her one evening when they were in the dormitory. Once permission was granted she approached James.

She finally found him up in the out of bounds Astronomy Tower writing an essay. "Hey," she whispered.

He looked up in surprise and grinned, "Hey! You're out of bounds, you know."

"Well so are you!"

"Ah, but I am Head Boy, you see." He paused a studied her. "Something's troubling you."

"James…I've got to leave."

"Erm, all right."

"No…I mean leave Hogwarts. My grandparents that live in France have sent for me. My grandfather is ill and grandma needs help."

"Oh…" he murmured, looking quite downcast. "Will you write?"

"No, I can't. Besides, I was just your short-term girl, remember? You've got Lily now."

"Hermione…just because what we had was short lived doesn't mean I didn't, don't, care for you." He stood and moved toward her, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll miss you, you know. When are you leaving?"

"Tonight, just after dinner."

"So soon?"

She nodded and he suddenly grabbed her hand and yanked her through the door. "Come with me! I have something I want you to take to remember me by!"

She followed him, laughing, back to Gryffindor tower and waited by the entrance as he dashed off to his dormitory and returned moments later holding…  
"Here are my favorite socks!" he cried, thrusting the neon orange and purple striped glittering monstrosities into her hands. "They are also the very socks I was wearing on the night we first snogged! You can keep them as a token of what we shared," he said regally, bowing before her, and a momentary flicker of regret passed across his eyes – seen only by her.

She smiled and, on a whim, hugged him tight, "Goodbye James, I'm going to miss you."

He embraced her just as tightly and kissed her on the cheek before whispering, "I'll miss you too and…I'm sorry. Sometimes I wish you could have gotten here before Lily. I love her but…I could love you too."

Hermione pulled back and was only vaguely surprised that her eyes were swimming with tears. "Lily's the girl for you James, I was just something to pass the time."

He smiled at her sadly and squeezed her hand, "You don't believe that any more than I do."

_November 1998_

Hermione brushed a pesky tear from her eye and said to Harry, "Well…that's all of it."

"That's why you cried so much that summer; him on top of everything else."

She nodded. "Please…don't tell Ron…or anyone for that matter."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Hermione. Though…do you still have the socks?"

She nodded, "I'll give them to you sometime if you'd like."

"No…no you can keep them. I just wondered if you still had them."

"I do," she whispered, and pulled the photo album so that they could see a picture of James standing by himself in the common room. He was looking off toward the stairs and as the two teens studied it, each would swear upon something very valuable that every so often a familiar tuft of bushy brown hair would swing through the frame as someone disappeared up the dormitory stairs.


End file.
